Printers are common peripheral devices attached to computers. A printer allows a computer user to make a hard copy of documents that are created in a variety of applications and programs on a computer. To function properly, a channel of communication is established (e.g., via a network connection) between the printer and the computer to enable the printer to receive commands and information from the host computer. Once a connection is established between a computer and the printer, printing software is implemented at a print server to manage a print job through the complete printing process.
Often, print jobs are produced by combining document data with forms data (e.g. text, graphics and images) that exist on a preprinted medium (e.g., paper). However, preprinted forms are costly and cumbersome. Particularly, printer users struggle with the cost and logistics of specifying, purchasing, storing, moving and controlling large volumes of preprinted forms. The customer environment would become more efficient and lower cost if preprinted forms could be eliminated by substituting blank stock. The conventional method of representing form data as an overlay requires that the form overlay is rendered using the normal print job processing and mixing rules. This may result in a color of the simulated preprinted form being “knocked out” and replaced with a color from the document data, which cannot occur with a real preprinted form.
As a result, a preprinted form overlay is desired, which can be managed and applied without alteration to the document datastream, and which completely simulates the preprinted form.